


Questionable Timing

by Keldae



Series: The Family Business [2]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Humour, Rishi, Shadow of Revan, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-12 18:06:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16877688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keldae/pseuds/Keldae
Summary: Interruptions make for awkward developments in one's life and relationship with another person.





	1. Chapter 1

_Ahhh, peace and quiet._ Xaja let herself onto the roof of the safehouse and let the scents and sounds of Raider’s Cove wash over her. She supposed it wasn’t generally considered wise for a safehouse to have a rooftop access, but right this moment, she didn’t care. Rishi was still warm and humid and smelled like the sea and freighter fuel and the collective smell of a thousand pirates and smugglers, but it was still better than the stifling environment inside the safehouse.

Some part of her was starting to regret Force-throwing Jakarro into a waterfall after she and Sorand had complained about his pungent odour one too many times. The scent of a wet Wookiee was not for the faint of heart, or for those with Force-enhanced senses.

The Jedi spread out her robe on the roof and laid down, feeling Rishi’s sunlight on her pale skin and lazily stretching not unlike a felinx cat. It was rare, especially with this Revanite crisis ongoing, for her to simply have a moment away from her responsibilities as ‘Master Taerich’ and just let herself be, without the trappings of the Order. Loose capris, a tank top, and bare feet; a far cry from the Jedi’s usual garb (never minding the lightsaber within easy grabbing distance, should it be needed). This was comfortable and private and –

The rooftop access door opened, and Xaja almost groaned when she heard the footsteps. The groan was stopped when she heard the voice. “Whoa, sorry – didn’t know you were up here. I’ll just go –”

“Nah, it’s all right, Theron.” Xaja cracked an eye open to peek at the spy and gestured with her hand for him to approach her as she sat back up. “Jakarro still complaining about everything and everyone?”

“If it’s not him and Dee-Four, it’s Korin. Was throwing him in the waterfall with Jakarro really necessary?”

“Hey, take that up with Sorand. I was only responsible for Jakarro getting a shower.” Xaja grinned. “Maybe Korin shouldn’t have been making jokes about Jedi and Sith agreeing being the sign of the galaxy’s imminent demise.”

“If I wasn’t afraid of getting tossed in the ocean, I’d agree with him.” Theron smirked as he sat down beside Xaja and shrugged off his jacket. “Oh, that breeze feels nice.”

“Mmhmm. These cultists do seem to be leading us to all the fun beach-filled worlds so far.” Xaja laid back on her spread-out robe and very nearly purred in the sunlight. “Sunshine, oceans, jungles…”

“The noises of a thousand rowdy alcohol-filled smugglers and the wildlife in said jungles trying to eat them all, and us…”

“Hush, you. Let me go back to focusing on the good parts of this entire fiasco.”

Theron laughed and laid down beside her, using his jacket as a pillow. Xaja realized, with a start, that he’d never full-out laughed like that before; the most she’d heard from him before was a chuckle, or an amused-sounding huff of air.  _He has a really nice-sounding laugh,_  was the traitorous thought that raced through her mind before her Jedi training could squash it.  _I wouldn’t mind hearing it more._  “Good parts of this? We have friends now in the upper ranks of the Empire, you’ve found out that you have a family, Darth Imperius is the nicest Dark Council member I’ve ever met and I’m reasonably sure he doesn’t have any intentions of killing me…”

“Little brother or not, I’d kick his ass if he tried. I haven’t gotten to know the SIS’s best agent just to let my Sith brother out on a murder spree.” Xaja grinned. “See, it’s not all bad.”

“I feel oddly special.” Theron smirked. “So, Master Jedi, are you out here escaping the incredible smell of wet Wookiee or the noise of said complaining Wookiee?”

“Would you believe me if I said I’m just solar-powered and need sunlight to be able to function?”

“Don’t redheads burn in the sun?”

“You can’t smell the sunblock?”

“Not really, not over the smell of those thousands of unwashed pirates and their ship fuel.”

Xaja laughed. “It’s still better than what’s downstairs right now.”

“Good point. There’s remarkably less whining out here too. Jakaroo would have gotten on with this one contact I had on an op years ago…”

The Jedi curiously tilted her head at Theron at that. “Oh, I’ve got to hear this story. Unless it’s classified?…”

“Nah.” Theron looked over and grinned. “So I was on Brentaal IV…”

* * *

Somehow the conversation shifted from Theron’s various shenanigans as an SIS operative (and the odd tale of Xaja’s adventures as a younger Jedi) to personal backstories. “… And that’s the story of how me losing a dare involving two swoop bikes and a monkey lizard wound up leading to my first kiss,” the spy finished, his ears reddening – and Xaja was pretty sure it wasn’t due to the sunlight. Some part of her secretly thought it was cute. “And the story of how I wound up getting sucker punched by her boyfriend that I didn’t know she had.”

“I can’t decide if I’m sympathetic or just greatly amused.” Xaja grinned and watched Theron’s ears go a darker shade of red. “Was she good, at least?”

“… Ish?” Theron smirked. “She wasn’t terrible.”

“As far as ‘first kiss’ stories go, that’s a pretty good one.” Xaja laughed and rolled onto her stomach, letting her back get some sunlight.

“What, do you have one to compare?” Theron’s grin widened when he saw the Jedi’s cheeks go pink and leaned over to nudge her arm. “The venerable Master Taerich has a first kiss story? I need to hear this!”

Xaja groaned and buried her face in her arms as Theron laughed. “Okay, so for context, at the time of this I was something of a naive twelve-year-old…”

“This has  _got_  to be good.” Theron rolled onto his side to give Xaja his full focus, his grin still wide and eager. “I’m trying to imagine the Order’s primary kicker-of-asses as a little twelve-year-old…”

“Shush, you! I was with Master Allende at the time. We did a lot of commuting between Tython and Dantooine with her work for the Council. On one of our visits to Tython, we met up with another Master-Padawan team. That Padawan in question was called Kich – he was… I want to say three years older than me? Far more well-traveled and wise in the ways of the galaxy, and when he told me I was pretty, well…” She could feel herself blushing.

“Awwww, you had a crush on another Jedi?” Theron laughed. “That’s adorable.”

“I was _twelve_! And he was cute! And Master Allende kinda kept me sheltered!” Xaja tried to hide her face in her hands again until Theron leaned over and tugged her hands back down, in a surprisingly gentle touch that made her pulse race. Trying to ignore the way her heart skipped a beat, she went on with her story. “We were out on one of the training paths, he was supposed to be helping me out with preparing for one of my trials as a senior Padawan. Long story short, uhh… He didn’t really do what he was told, and after telling me that he thought I was the prettiest girl he’d ever seen, he, uh… Well, that’s how my first kiss happened.”

“That sounds like there’s more to the story than just that.” Theron grinned and nudged her arm. It almost made Xaja miss the sudden flare she felt dance across his Force-signature, something that felt… Protective? Dark? Jealous?  _That’s impossible._  “C’mon, out with it.”

Xaja groaned, feeling her cheeks head up more. “So, this was years ago. The Flesh Raiders weren’t as big of a threat as they are now, but they were still a problem then. Three of them jumped us right around then, and Kich, being the paragon of everything the Jedi stood for, bravely ran away to get help. When the Masters got to where I was, I was up a tree with a damned stick for a weapon with the Flesh Raiders prowling around the base of the tree, and mad as hell for understandable reasons.”

Theron burst into laughter again. “So you got rescued by the Masters and presumably did not start dating that other Padawan on the sly?”

“Oh, hell no.” Xaja grinned and ruefully shook her head. “I was running punishment drills in the training rings for the next week – not for the kiss, which I didn’t really tell anyone about, but more for punching Kich square in the nose when I saw him back at the Temple. Incidentally, that was also my first time meeting Master Orgus.”

“What, was that punch the reason he finally decided to finish your training?”

“Nah. He decided I was his next Padawan after my best friend and I rigged up paint bombs in the Council chambers a couple of years later. Master Kiwiiks told me a couple of years ago that he actually called dibs while Jakar and I were running laps around the Temple grounds. Apparently being gutsy enough to grin while your mother was reading us the riot act impressed him, not that he would have admitted it to Master Satele.”

Theron finally got his laughter under control and wiped a tear away from his eye. “Your Jedi training experience sounded way more fun than mine did. Master Zho never taught me about the long-lost art of Jedi pranking or romance.”

“Well, clearly your education was incomplete.”

“Apparently.” Theron shifted beside her; Xaja felt his arm brushing against hers. Had he always been that close to her? “So… any other embarrassing first kiss or pranking stories?”

“None quite that hilarious,” Xaja confessed as she tilted toward him. She was a  _Jedi,_ dammit, she should not be feeling her heart race when she realized just how close he was to her, close enough to see the fleck of amber in his hazel eyes, close enough to feel his breath. “The other stories tended to involve alcohol-induced lapses of judgement. You?”

Theron softly snorted. “Nah. None worth remembering.” He grew quiet for a moment; Xaja watched his gaze flicker from her mouth back up to her eyes. “Want to make a better story?” he murmured, his voice suddenly low and husky and sending a delightful shiver up Xaja’s spine that she desperately tried to deny.

 _You’re a Jedi Master, dammit. This is not what you do. You know the Code, and you know what happened the last time you broke it for a man!_ But Theron felt nothing like Darren Kota had, his Force-presence warmer and brighter and less scarred with hatred. Xaja felt a warm flood pool in her lower abdomen as Theron shifted closer to her, his hand settling over hers, warm and solid and surprisingly gentle in his touch. He hesitated in moving his face closer to hers, as though expecting her to deny him, or giving her a chance to get out. And she  _knew_  it was what she was supposed to do.

Her body rebelled against her mind and wavering discipline. She felt her nose brush against his as she moved in, his breath tickling her fair skin. She could feel his pulse race as he angled his face, and closed her eyes as she just felt the first brush of his lips against hers –

“Master Taerich! Agent Shan!” Dee-Four’s yell sent a sudden jolt through Xaja that had absolutely nothing to do with Theron and the kiss trying to happen. Her eyes flew open and a gasp escaped her lips as Theron quickly jerked his head away from hers, his ears and cheeks going red despite his best efforts. A second later, Jakarro poked his head out of the roof hatch, Dee-Four on his bandolier as per usual. “There you two are! We’ve been looking for you!”

“ _What are you discussing up here?_ ” Jakarro asked, his dark eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“Nothing,” Theron quickly said; he sounded remarkably composed, even if she could still hear a slight shake to his voice. “It’s classified.”

“Whatever it is, it can’t be more important than what Cipher Nine just found. He’s got a location on the Mandalorians led by the one called Torch!” Dee-Four almost sounded smug, or was that just Xaja hearing things? “He’s waiting on you two before he briefs everyone.”

Her father had the  _worst_  kriffing timing, and the damn droid-and-Wookiee duo were even worse. “We’ll be down in a second,” Xaja mumbled as she sat up and gathered her robe up. “Tell my father we’ll be right there.”

“Sure, once you finish your  _classified discussion_.” If a droid could leer, Dee-Four would be doing so. He and Jakarro vanished back down through the access hatch before Xaja could tell them off; she groaned and looked over at Theron.

He was still blushing and running his hands over his face, trying to regain his composure. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled when he looked back at Xaja. “If I’d known they were…”

“It’s not your fault.” Xaja shook her head and tried to force her breath back to something approaching steady and composed. “It… uhh…” Kriff, what was there to say right now?”

“… Yeah.” Theron sat up and caught Xaja’s hand in his before she could escape back into the safehouse. “If you want, we, uh… we can continue this discussion sometime later.”

 _I’m a Jedi, and you’re everything I’m not supposed to be looking at or getting attached to. I can’t, you know that I can’t…_ “I’d like that.” She smiled despite her racing pulse and trembling fingers, and felt Theron squeeze her hand in a gesture that was all at once familiar and sweet and gentle. The moment was passed, broken by that damned droid, but Xaja still wanted to linger and stay with Theron a little longer despite her vows to the Order, stay longer and –

“Hey!” That was Korin’s voice yelling up through the access hatch. “Are you two coming or what?”

 _For kriff’s sake…_  “Keep your hair on, we’re coming!” Xaja shouted back at her brother, and looked back at Theron for only a second before slipping her hand free of his and re-entering the safehouse. She took a quick second to make sure nobody was watching her before she gently touched her lips, still feeling a fire where Theron’s had brushed hers in something that was almost a kiss.  _You’re a Jedi,_  she stubbornly told herself. _It can’t happen, no matter how badly you want it…_

She didn’t see Theron linger on the rooftop for a long minute and silently indulge in a long list of frustrated expletives as he tried to get his own heart to settle down before he rejoined the rest of the conspirators inside.


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone else had drifted out of the safehouse already, preparing to travel to Yavin. Sorand, of course, had already left with Darth Marr, sliding back into his Imperius persona. Their father had gone with them as the token Intelligence operative. Shara, Jakarro, and Korin all seemed to be arguing over something underworld-related as they’d left, Lana not far behind them. But Xaja lingered, leaning against a table and staring sightlessly at her feet as she tightly hugged herself.  _He’s not dead… he’s not dead…_ **  
**

Ironic that Darth Marr had been one of the only Sith to not try and break her, and had been the one to succeed the best. The report of Vitiate not being completely dead settled a cold dread over the Jedi’s heart. Her scattered, foggy memories of captivity and forced Acolyte training on the Emperor’s station were remnants of pain and terror – even now, far away from where she’d been held and tortured, her stomach churned in what she couldn’t deny was straight-up fear. _Breathe,_  she sternly thought to herself.  _Make Master Orgus proud of you. Breathe, breathe… oh, Force, what are the others going to say?… Scourge is going to lose it, and Kira —_

“Hey.” Two large hands settled on her slim shoulders. Xaja startled and looked up into a pair of concerned hazel eyes, one still ringed with purple bruises. “It’s okay.” Theron gave her a small, tight smile and gave her shoulders a squeeze. “It’s going to be okay.”

 _How?_  Xaja didn’t know how much Theron knew of her history with the Emperor, or how much the Jedi Council or the SIS had ordered redacted from her dossier. She felt herself shake under Theron’s hands and looked away from his gaze before he could see her tears. “I know what that lunatic is capable of,” she whispered. “If he’s unleashed on the galaxy again –”

“We’re stopping him before that happens. Revan’s not going to destroy the galaxy again.”

“Revan’s not the one who scares me.”

“… Oh.” Theron hesitated for a moment; Xaja expected him to let go of her and step away. But he didn’t. “You’re stronger than Vitiate realizes. You killed his physical form – well, I guess his most recent physical form – and you resisted his brainwashing attempt when other Jedi Masters failed, right? You can beat anything he throws at you.” Theron sighed. “Dammit, I’m terrible at this comforting thing…”

A ghost of a smile flickered over Xaja’s features for a brief second before the dread settled back in. “I didn’t resist it,” she whispered before she quite realized what she was saying. “I fell with the rest of my strike team and he– he made me do things… and I couldn’t stop him…”

Theron froze. Fear of an entirely different nature shot through Xaja’s heart; she risked a quick glance up at his face, frozen in a neutral expression that didn’t give away his thoughts (not a good sign), then warily glanced at his hands, waiting for him to ball one up into a fist. Darren had done the exact same thing when he’d found out about what happened on the station. That had been the day she’d sworn off of romantic entanglements entirely, more in the name of protecting her shattered heart than a commitment to the Jedi Code.  _He’s going to react like Darren did. He’s going to hit me and this time Kira and Lieutenant Jorgan aren’t here to make him stop–_

“But you got out. You broke free of his control.” Theron’s hands finally moved; Xaja flinched until she realized he was simply sliding his arms around her in a gentle, if awkward, hug. “He’s not controlling you anymore. See? You’re stronger than he realizes.” She felt him carefully rest his cheek against her hair. “We’re going to kick Revan’s ass before he can go through with his stupid plan, and then we’re going to find a way to burn Vitiate’s ghost out of the galaxy.”

Xaja stayed motionless for a long moment, eyes wide in bewilderment. No hatred, no judging her weakness, and no violence; just Theron’s own brand of comforting attempts? She started to realize that maybe she was  _too_  motionless when Theron shifted, anxiety spiking around him. “Am I doing this wrong? I’m totally doing this comforting thing wrong. It–” He shut up when Xaja finally moved and tightly wrapped her arms around his waist under his jacket – perhaps a little less tightly when she felt him wince as she pressed too hard on his healing ribs. But then his hug was tightening on her and he was pulling her closer against him, and no matter that this was against the Code and smelled of the romantic attachment she was desperately trying to avoid, this felt right and good and  _safe._  She let herself bury her face in his chest – that was immediately a mistake, because now she knew without a doubt that he smelled really, really good.  _Shit._

She finally pulled back from the hug and brushed a hand across her eyes. Dammit, when had those tears been shed? “I’m sorry,” she whispered. And there went the illusion of being an invulnerable Jedi Master, although she supposed that image had already been irreversibly damaged when she’d told Theron the story of how she’d gotten tree’d by Flesh Raiders.

“Don’t be. That shit you’ve gone through would break almost anyone else.” Theron hadn’t let go of her, merely shifted his hands to rest on her upper arms. “If anyone’s allowed to be scared, it’s you.” He ruefully chuckled – when Xaja looked up, his eyes were the most gentle she’d ever seen them. “When I asked you out for a drink and a quick chat all those months ago, I had no idea it was going to end up like this. Guess this’ll warn you about accepting a spy’s invitation anywhere.”

Xaja felt a small laugh escape her as she shook her head. “It’s chaotic, but even with this, I wouldn’t have traded these last few months for anything. I found my family… and I met you…”

Theron’s lips quirked upward in a smile – Xaja quickly looked away from his mouth before thoughts of their conversation a few days ago on the roof of this same safehouse could lead her into un-Jedi-like conduct. “I know I mentioned this before, but I’ve never been much of a team player. But after all of this, I’m starting to think I should have started a long time ago.” He hesitated, one of his hands drifting upward from her bicep to rest on her shoulder. He’d already removed his gloves; she felt a shiver run through her when his thumb just grazed the skin of her neck. “Working with you has made all this madness worthwhile.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” Xaja murmured, and inwardly scolded herself when she saw the damn smile her words produced. But her mental chastising was rapidly being drowned out by the sound of her pounding heart as Theron’s hand raised to cradle her cheek in a surprisingly-intimate gesture. She watched through half-closed eyes as the spy gently pulled her closer to him and lowered his face closer to hers before pausing. “What is it?” she whispered.

Theron glanced toward the door. “I’m half-expecting that damn droid to interrupt again,” he muttered. Oh yes, he most certainly had their rooftop conversation and near-kiss in the forefront of his memory right now.

 _Oh, for kriff’s sake…_  Xaja did a quick cast out with the Force, sensed no lifeforms nearby (droid-bearing Wookiees or otherwise), and looked up to meet Theron’s gaze, so near to hers. Her last attempts at holding to the Code and her self-imposed vow to never love again vanished like snow under Tatooine’s suns. “Theron?”

“Yeah?”

“Kiss me already.”

Theron’s smile lit up his eyes before Xaja had a chance of taking back her words – and a second later, she didn’t even want to consider the option. His lips finally,  _finally_  descended onto hers, soft and surprisingly gentle. He tasted like caf and the lingering hint of whiskey, and that combination shouldn’t have been so intoxicating, but it was – he tasted and felt every bit as good as she’d imagined he would. If she’d known the spy could kiss so sweetly, she might have admitted her attraction to him sooner. Her pulse raced as he tugged her tighter against him, as though wanting her as much as she finally admitted she wanted him; when she slid her hand up his chest, she could feel his heart pounding under her fingers.

Too soon, he pulled back, as though he were afraid of causing her harm or making her uncomfortable. But he wasn't done - Xaja could feel his want as clear as a beacon in the Force, an echo of her own feelings. And that was all without her own body reminding her that it had been well over two years since she had last been kissed or touched. Her hand slid up from his chest and into his hair to pull him back down to kiss her again; he obeyed the silent demand readily. 

This kiss was firmer and more sure than the last; Xaja could feel him slanting his mouth against hers to kiss her more deeply, and that did nothing to help her control the distracting heat building deep within her. His tongue gently pushed against her lips until her mouth opened to let him in so he could taste her more thoroughly – that sensation earned a soft, involuntary sound from her throat. It was enough to make him pause and pull back slightly. “Are you okay?” he whispered against her lips, his voice low and husky.

Xaja nodded and smiled. “Yes,” she murmured, “better than.” That answer earned a smile from Theron as he descended on her again, his kisses increasingly deep and wanting, and a quiet groan escaping him when her teeth gently dragged over his lower lip. She almost didn’t feel herself moving until her hips were against the table and Theron was leaning into her. Some part of her tried to whisper that they had things to be doing and a galaxy to be saving; but it was easy to ignore that little voice and push herself up to sit on the edge of the table. It got easier with Theron stepping into the gap between her legs and running his hand down her side, lingering for a brief moment on her hip before sliding under her jacket and back up her ribcage. His touch left a fire under her skin in its wake; she shivered and slipped her hand under his own jacket so she could caress the muscles of his back. She felt more than heard his soft, pleased-sounding noise at her touch before he pulled back from her mouth; she softly gasped when his lips settled on her jaw and travelled up to her pulse point. “Theron…” she whispered as she tilted her face enough to give him better access to her fair skin.

“Mmmm.” Theron gently kissed and nibbled his way up to her ear, his teeth catching her earlobe just enough to make her gasp. He paused for a moment; Xaja could feel his gentle hold on her tightening. “Do you want me to stop?” he murmured, close enough to her that his lips brushed against her skin.

 _We need to go. Revan’s actively planning to destroy the galaxy. Someone’s going to miss us soon. Yavin is a long way from here._ “Not in the least,” she whispered, and didn’t have time to even try voicing those damned reminders of the grim reality they faced before Theron’s lips were on hers again, and all she could think about was his scent, his taste, and the new sensation of his deft fingers finding the hem of her shirt and slipping underneath, just enough to tickle her skin and earn a soft moan from her –

“Well, Jakarro owes me fifty credits now.”

Xaja gasped again, for an entirely different reason this time as Theron yanked himself away from her like she was burning him, hazel eyes flying wide open. Feeling not unlike a guilty teenager, she glanced at the door and saw Lana facepalming and shaking her head at them… and then realized her hands were still under Theron’s jacket and he still had one hand just under her shirt. Fortunately, with the way she was sitting on the table and Theron standing between her legs, Lana wasn’t able to see the spy’s obvious sign of arousal, although she could probably sense it perfectly well. “You’re, uh… we were just…umm…” The Jedi sheepishly looked between Theron and Lana, feeling her cheeks burning.

Lana sighed. “There’s a time and a place for doing something about the sexual tension between you two that the rest of us have been able to feel for weeks, and this is neither. Have you forgotten entirely about Revan and his plan?”

“No,” Theron quickly said, his voice stuttering as he tried to steady his breathing around removing his hand from up inside Xaja’s shirt. He had to stop and take a breath before he could continue speaking. “We’re, uh… just coming.”

“Clearly,” Lana dryly remarked, making Xaja’s cheeks flare as brightly as Theron’s jacket. “If you two are quite finished acting like teenagers?”

“We’re not–!” Xaja frowned at the Sith, earned one blonde brow arched back at her incredulously, then groaned and pressed her forehead into Theron’s shoulder. “Can you give us a minute?”

“For pity’s sake…” Lana sighed and turned back toward the door. “Two minutes. And I’m not above calling Cipher Nine back if –”

“We’re  _coming!_ ” Theron shouted at the Sith – Xaja felt a brief burst of alarm from him at the thought of having to explain this to her father, who’d already proven himself to be quite the over-protective type. He turned back to her as Lana finally disappeared down the hallway and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry about all of… this,” he murmured, his hands coming up to rest on her arms again. “If she gives you hell for this or you catch it from the Order, I’ll take the fall for you –”

“You’ll do no such thing. This is on both of us.” Xaja raised her arms and gently wrapped them around Theron’s neck, feeling him drop his hands to rest on her hips. “Besides, I don’t think your mother can properly call me out in a Jedi capacity without announcing herself a hypocrite.”

Theron snorted a soft laugh and shifted his face just enough to brush his nose against hers. “We really should get moving,” he murmured after a long moment. “Lana’s right, Yavin is a long way from here.”

“And we have a galaxy to save.” Xaja sighed as her brief moment of respite from being the de facto saviour of the galaxy (again) came to an end. Never minding than Lana was lurking nearby – she suddenly felt a moment of impulsive courage, and stretched up to kiss Theron again. This time, the gesture was gentle and sweet, and when it finally ended, she felt him press another kiss to her forehead. “Come on,” she finally murmured as she slid off the table. “Before Lana comes back in here to yell at us again.”

That earned a smirk from Theron. His hand slid down to find hers and gently entwine their fingers. “We’ll have to finish this discussion later,” he huskily whispered, his eyes darkening in a way that made a rush of heat pool in Xaja’s abdomen and her heart pound again.

It was against everything the Code stood for. Xaja still smiled and stretched up to kiss Theron’s cheek. “I’d like that.”


End file.
